4. We're the same. Really.
During their first month living together, Usagi had expected that he would make adjustments. But gratefully, Usagi didn't make many.
Sleeping arrangements was an issue at first. While the van's fold out bed was big enough for them to have room to move, Leonardo was too tall. He had to scrunch his legs close. He always woke up cramped up, but he didn't complain.
Usagi found that Leonardo didn't complain much. At all really.
They didn't argue either.
They practically agreed on almost everything. Usagi had seventeen different movies ranging from The Lord of the Rings trilogy—he had yet to be able to collect the Hobbit—to several classic noir films. Leonardo like them just fine, but he seemed rather attached to the five movies that seemed rather out of place in Usagi's small collection: two Batman films, the first Men in Black, the second Star Trek film, and the first Fast and Furious.
By the end of their month together, Usagi's collection went from seventeen to their thirty-five. Leonardo said it wasn't necessary to get movies that he liked.
Leonardo also liked to read, and he was fast a reader. Usagi had only ten books. Five mystery novels, two books about Japan and Japanese culture—both on ancient and modern, The Art of War, one Stephen King novel that Usagi never finished—not because he was afraid of course, and a very beaten up Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Leonardo had went through most of the collection at a surprising rate.
By the end of their first month together, Usagi knew he had to get more books for Leonardo. Leonardo protested.
The difference that Usagi truly noticed, or cared about, was their taste in music. It wasn't that Leonardo didn't have a fondness for classic rock, because he did. Truly. It's just that he had a greater fondness for decade old pop music, and rap. Usagi didn't. In fact, he found Leonardo's taste in music questionable at best.
By the end of their first month, they both agreed to disagree on what's good music. Though, Usagi noticed that Leonardo would turn the radio off if the only thing they could get was a Hip-Hop station. Usagi would turn it back on, of course.
Closer to the end of their first month together, Usagi wondered if Leonardo still held the knowledge to use his katanas.
"I don't know. I mean, I somehow know all the words to "Hollaback Girl" when it started playing. This might be the same thing…maybe?" Leonardo gave a small shrug, "If not, you could always teach me how to use at least one of them."
By the end of their first month, Usagi had gained a training partner. A training partner who constantly belittled his own skills in favor of Usagi's
"Does it bother you?" Leonardo once asked.
They had left New York City five weeks ago, and were camping outside a small Pennsylvania town. It was a spring, which meant the nights were just warm enough for Leonardo, but cool enough for Usagi. They sat around a fire watching the last of the poor squirrels Leonardo had caught cook.
"Does what bother me?" Usagi had went scavenging for wild berries and nuts earlier in the day when Leonardo had decided to go hunting for meat. Apparently some turtles craved meat, and Leonardo couldn't just live on the all vegetarian diet that Usagi was used too.
He had gestured towards the squirrel.
Usagi furrowed his brow. What an odd questioned. When Leonardo had told Usagi he needed to eat protein from meat, Usagi fully accepted it. Leonardo even asked if it bothered him several hours ago. Why was he asking again?
Usagi turned to look at his friend. Leonardo's brow was creased with stress lines, his shoulders were tensed and ridged, and, glancing down, Usagi could see the turtle balled up fists were tearing at the grass. Usagi wished he could ask why the younger mutant was so filled with self-doubt and worry that he believed eating small animals would make Usagi turn Leonardo away, but Leonardo wouldn't be able to answer.
"Leonardo, look at me."
Leonardo refused to do so.
Usagi sighed. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before adjusting himself to sit on his legs, and facing his friend. Cupping Leonardo's face, Usagi forced the turtle to look at him. He was met with little resistance.
"Leonardo, if that was a wild rabbit you had caught," Usagi pointed towards the slowly burning squirrel, "I wouldn't care. I need to eat plants. You need to eat meat. I don't care, just as long you are healthy and happy. And if I didn't, you still don't need my approval. I will not hinder your survival. You shouldn't let your appeasing nature to do so either.
"You wouldn't be bothered if I ate a rabbit?" Leonardo's tone was flat, as if he didn't believe Usagi.
Usagi dropped his hands and shrugged. "I would rather you didn't, but no. Leonardo, this isn't about you eating game meat in front of me."
Leonardo stayed silent. When Usagi first saw Leonardo's eyes, he thought they were an incredibly bright blue. Orchids in the middle of an open field. Now, Usagi saw that wasn't the case. They clouded over, dull tittering on the edge of gray. How did he not notice?
"No," Usagi answered firmly. "This is about you not wanting anything for yourself. You thinking and acting at any moment I will kick you out of my van and stranded you in the middle of the nowhere because you want or need something," he now gestured to the burnt squirrel. "It's about you putting yourself down. I don't know if this was what you were like before we met, before you lost your memories, but you can't do this to yourself. I'm not going to let you continue on like this, Leonardo."
By the start of their second month together, Usagi was happy see the subtle differences.
AN: Hey guys. I just wanted to say thanks to The Over9000NinjaAlchemist, Insanity21, my anon Guest, and deedee for their reviews. And also to all those who are following along. I appreciate it. :)